twschw

I got my work permit and Non B today. The school I work for took care of the paperwork so I know nothing about how it is presented to the MOL . ( Ministry of Labor). Our first stop today was the MOL. We picked up the work permit and the school paid B700. The work permit is due to expire on Jan 27, 2008 due to my arrival stamp expiring on the same date. I had a Non O before the switch and had been doing my 90 day border runs. We then went to Immigration and got the Non B which expires on Sept 20, 2008 which I paid B1900 for. We then went to a branch of the MOL and extend my work permit until Sept 30, 2008 which the school paid B3100 for. then I went home. All in all fairly painless but if a foriegner is doing it on their own I'd imagine it could be quite difficult.

OP - "Thai prisons are notorious for their poor conditions."

Are Russian prisons less notorious?? Just wondering

I am not old enough to be my partners father thus we both are at about the same level emotionally. We encourage, support and guide each other. I'm not sure I would be comfortable being a father figure and a lover at the same time

OP - "But back to the original point, does anyone else here use the term 'lady' for female Thais but 'woman' for any other nationality?"

I don't use Lady just for Thai ladies. If I see a female and want to comment on her I would say " Did you see that lady? Was she American or English?". To say "did you see that woman" sounds harsh and crude. My grandmother would strike me dead from heaven if I ever said "that Thai, Inidian, English or American woman". Just how I was raised I guess.

Passport Services

Passport Applications

The British Embassy Bangkok now issues both 32 & 48 page passports. Fees are given below.

If you do not live in the UK you may apply for a passport from your nearest Embassy, Consulate or High Commission. Alternatively, you may also apply to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) in person whilst visiting the UK. In order to do this, you need to make an appointment with IPS in the UK and you must provide an address in the UK to which the passport may be posted. Applicants will have to be available at this address to sign for the receipt of the passport. Please note that IPS do not accept applications by post or e-mail if you live abroad.

Passport applications take 10 working days to process from the receipt of a correctly completed and paid for application. There is no fast-track service available. Applications are dealt with strictly in the order that they are received and are not prioritised, except for in the most compelling compassionate circumstances. It is therefore essential that you apply for your passport well in advance of your planned travel date.

We do not add or insert additional pages into a passport that is full. If your passport is full, you will need to apply for a replacement.

Requirements

2 recent identical photos (35mm x 45mm) The UK Passport Agency have strict guidelines on the quality of passport photographs. Photographs which do not meet the guidelines will not be accepted. Full details can be found at the UK passport website.

(We require two recent, colour photographs with white background)

Completed form

Current passport

Consular fee

Hong Kong I.D. Card (for BNO passport)

Child’s passport application countersignatory required

What does countersignatory mean?

I got a Non Imm O in the States by just paying the fee. I was in and out of the conulate in about 10 minutes. Actually I went there for a 90 day tourist visa and the secretary asked me if I wanted a multiple entry Non Imm O. No documents just the fee. It was my lucky day.

It's a start I guess.

Official Government Holidays - 2008 Rating

wangsuda

Advanced Member

Group: Members

Posts: 50

Joined: 2004-09-10

Member No.: 12,814

Many times, people ask about what the holidays are for a school. Here's the base answer. Below is a list of the official government holidays for 2008 (subject to change without notice):

1. วันอังคาร 1 มกราคม วันขึ้นปีใหม่ ( New Year’s Day / January 1)

2. วันพฤหัสบดี 21 กุมภาพันธ์ วันมาฆบูชา ( Makha Bucha Day / February 21 )

3. วันจันทร์ 7 เมษายน ชดเชยวันจักรี ( Chakri Memorial Day / April 7 )

4. วันจันทร์ 14 เมษายน วันสงกรานต์ ( Songkran Festival Day / April 14 )

5. วันอังคาร 15 เมษายน วันสงกรานต์ ( Songkran Festival Day / April 15 )

6. วันพฤหัสบดี 1 พฤษภาคม วันแรงงานแห่งชาติ ( National Labour Day / May 1 )

7. วันจันทร์ 5 พฤษภาคม วันฉัตรมงคล ( Coronation Day / May 5 )

8. วันจันทร์ 19 พฤษภาคม วันวิสาขบูชา ( Visakha Bucha Day / May 19 )

9. วันศุกร์ 18 กรกฎาคม วันเข้าพรรษา ( Buddhist Lent Day / July 18 )

10. วันอังคาร 12 สิงหาคม วันเฉลิมพระชนมพรรษา สมเด็จฯ พระบรมราชินีนาถ

( H.M. The Queen’s Birthday / August 12 )

11. วันพฤหัสบดี 23 ตุลาคม วันปิยะมหาราช ( Chulalongkorn Memorial Day / October 23 )

12. วันศุกร์ 5 ธันวาคม วันเฉลิมพระชนมพรรษา พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว

( H.M. The King’s Birthday / December 5 )

13.วันพุธ 10 ธันวาคม วันรัฐธรรมนูญ ( Constitution Day / December 10 )

14.วันพุธ 31 ธันวาคม วันสิ้นปี ( New Year’s Eve / December 31 )

check out the teaching forum. there is a list there

Drinkers shouldn't feel to secure.

Officials Make Public Intoxication Arrests Inside Bars

POSTED: 4:04 pm CST March 15, 2006

IRVING, Texas -- The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has taken its fight against drunken driving to a new level. TABC agents, along with Irving police, targeted 36 bars and clubs Friday, arresting some allegedly intoxicated patrons before they departed the businesses.

The officers and agents also kept watch on bartenders who might have over-served patrons.

Agents arrested 30 people Friday night. Most of the suspects now face charges of public intoxication.

The agents and Irving police officers traveled from bar to bar and worked undercover, according to an NBC 5 report.

The report also said that some agents shared tables with suspected drunken patrons. Some patrons were subjected to field sobriety tests inside bars.

Agents and officers said the operation represented an effort to reduce drunken driving.

Sgt. Chris Hamilton, of the TABC, said some inebriated bar patrons "end up killing themselves or someone else" after departing the businesses.

nbc5i.com

Chan Tour has ladyboy bus hostesses and no one hassles them. I've never had a problem here. Back in Texas I was harassed regularly.

My Thai partner likes to hold hands and he even grabs my ass anywhere we go. When we ride the motorbike he reaches back (he drives) and caresses my leg. He is from Isaan and is a government official. So, I guess I hit the jackpot in terms of affection.

Very well said Gary. You have given some very sound advice.

Yes, we get the idea. Thailand is a death trap for British tourists. This horse has been beaten to death.

What's up is a person who is interested in trying to utilize his land in some sort of useful way and is asking for help. Did he get any?

As I said in an earlier post why don't non-smokers organize and ban tobacco all together. All you do is attack the end user of the product, wouldn't it be more useful for you to expend your energies in trying to stop the production of the product. As long as tobacco products are legal you will have to put up with smoking on some level.

What is "understandable" if aaaaaa is American? Could you clarify this please.

If goverments are so concerned about the health of their citizens they would simply ban the sale of tobacco items. This would though eliminate a major source of tax income for them. So, they just relegate smoker into a kind of second class citizen group where they are more regulated than nonsmokers even though smokers pay an additional tax to smoke. If the nonsmokers are really concerned about smokers health then they should organize and abolish the sales of tobacco products.

I would still like some advice on how to control my M1/10. I will admit that I am an inexperienced teacher but we all have to start somewhere. Im my short time, relatively speaking, in Thailand I have taught students from P1 to M4 and have enjoyed it until now. I dread going to this class. The students have a habit of just walking out of the class whenever they feel like it but most of the time is spent calling me names and pointing and laughing. They really are mean-spirited kids. I know I am not the OP and I don't mean to hijack this thread but I really need some constructive ideas.

I teach M1 and I have several classes similar to yours. My 1/10 is just horrible. The students aren't just disinterested they are delinquents. One student called me an Isat (not sure of the spelling). It was behind my back as I walked away so I didn't know who had said it. It is not just the boys but the girls also. One waved her hand to "dismiss" me because I was interupting her chat time with another student and she very nearly hit my nose. She acted as if she had every right to do this. I have tried everything I can think of to try to get through to these students but nothing works.

I am imagining takng these students out of the classroom and I am scared to death, as a group they could destroy Bangkok in an afternoon. Face it, there are some classes that just cannot be handled.

Perhaps international schools are different but at my government school we are required to prepare lesson plans and I am not sure how to write up a lesson plan on teaching classroom rules and routines when I am supposed to be teaching non released final consonants. The school admin would be in a snit if I took 2 weeks of teaching time to drill the students on classroom rules. You are lucky to be able to do this.

A visa that is obtained outside of Thailand when you are still in Thailand is invalid. The immigration officer will be able to see that you were still in Thailand (by checking the stamps) when the visa was obtained.

totster

Thanks. I appreciate the answer.

I just received my Non-Imm O visa from the Thai Consulate in Dallas, TX. Just walked in paid $125, gave the receptionist my application and pics and she took it back to the Honorary Consul General who signed it and I was done. Took all of 15 minutes. My question is when the time comes to renew my visa can I mail it from Thailand to the Dallas Consulate to get it done? This is all new for me so forgive me if this seems ignorant to some more experienced folks. Thanks for any info.

Yes of course it is a form of racism. But what is the problem? Aren't senior discounts ageism? Ladies night sexism? We live in a world of "isms". Use your wallet as your protest. Just don't go.

What attracted you to your boyfriend oin the first place? You made the decision to be with him. Is there nothing left of that attraction or was it merely physical? I made the mistake ONCE with a bar boy. I was with him for 3 months and soon realized he was in it for the money. I left him immediatly. When I made the decision to try again, I had a list of requirements in mind. I now have a Thai boyfriend who is a college educated professional. The key is to learn from your mistakes and use better judgement in the future. We can't lay all the blame for our bad decisions at the feet of our Thai boyfriends. Best of luck to you.

How exactly does this new law benefit Thailand?